How To Make Money With A Laptop

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For digital nomads all over the world, the dream of making money with only a laptop and internet has been realized.

It's no longer necessary to work in an office to pay the bills. As long as you have a laptop computer, decent internet access, and a marketable skill, you can earn money while sipping cocktails on a beach in Bali or while overlooking the impenetrable forests of East Africa.

You might scoff and think that digital nomadism is a pipe dream for the lucky few, but you would be wrong.

Millions of people throughout the world are earning a living from their laptop computers.

While it's the perfect way to earn while traveling, you can also earn excellent money by working from home and staying in the same place! Whatever your desired lifestyle, working for yourself is one of the best ways to earn a living.

So, with all that in mind, here are 15 ways to make money with only a laptop and internet.

15 ways to make money with a laptop | Be The Budget

Start A Blog

Quit your job and start a blog! How many times have you heard someone say this in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way?

Well, as much as people seem to enjoy making fun of bloggers, the truth is, it can be incredibly lucrative.

Although you can't monetize a blog overnight, if you're prepared to put some effort in, you'd be amazed at the kind of return on effort you can achieve.

Seriously, there are so many ways you can earn money from a blog. For instance, you can run display ads on your site, become an affiliate for products you love, and even earn money for writing sponsored posts.

To make money as a blogger, you need to create original, high-quality content that attracts good traffic to your site. And while it might take some time to gain traction, once you do, the income potential is outstanding.

Interested in starting a blog? Here are a few posts to help you get started:

18 Proven Ways To Make Money With A WordPress Blog
21 Legit Ways To Grow Your Blog Traffic
15 Ways To Make Money As A Travel Blogger
How To Make Money As A Fashion Blogger
How Much Does It Cost To Start (And Run) A Blog?
Blog On A Budget: 10 Low-Cost Essentials For New Bloggers
How To Write Blog Posts Faster In 6 Steps

Become A Freelance Writer

As a freelance writer, you can get paid to write content for companies or other bloggers. And if you've got some skill with words, you can make a lot of money with only a laptop and internet.

You can find yourself writing on a whole host of topics, depending on the clients that you work for.

However, if you're particularly passionate about a specific niche, you could target your services toward a specific client. For instance, you could target people in need of content focused on travel, cooking, personal finance, or really any other subject.

Providing you charge a realistic hourly rate for your services and develop a decent portfolio of work, you shouldn't have any trouble making a living as a freelance writer.

You can even set up a profile on sites like Fiverr and Upwork to start marketing your services.

Seriously, if you're looking for a great way to make money with a laptop, freelance writing might be just the ticket.

Interested in freelancing? Check out these related posts:

How To Make Money On Fiverr (The Beginner's Guide)
17 Proven Ways To Make Money As A Freelance Writer
9 Lucrative Freelance Skills You Can ACTUALLY Learn Online
11 Realistic Ways to Make $1,000 Per Month Online
15 Proven Ways To Get Freelance Clients

Edit Photos For Photographers

Photo editing is an excellent skill to possess.

Very often, photographers capture wonderful stills but don't have the time to put together their collection and edit each of the photographs that they take.

Luckily, if you have a laptop and Photoshop, you can make a great income editing photos for photographers.

To secure business as a photo editor, it's a good idea to create a transformational portfolio using photos you've taken yourself. You should be able to clearly show your skills as an editor and show clients why they should work with you.

From there, you can promote your services to local photographers, and start earning money for your photo editing skills.

Develop Websites

For a brand to be successful, a website is imperative.

Why?

Because it's the main way that people find products and services in the present day.

As such, if you have the skillset, you can earn a living by developing websites for other people and businesses.

Whether it's a personal blog or a comprehensive site for a local business, you will be able to find lots of work as a web developer.

What's more, once you've completed the website, you will probably be retained by the company to make any ongoing changes to the site, as regular updates are normally required.

You can decide on your retainer or the one-off fee you charge to your clients to make the requested changes.

And the best part is, if you don't know how to develop websites, there are tons of great online courses on Udemy that will provide you with all the necessary skills to start your own web development business.

Sell Coaching/Consulting Services

People look for the guidance of coaches for different reasons. Whether it's to help them achieve personal or professional goals, coaches are a valuable resource to people in a variety of sectors.

Equally, if you're a specialist in a particular field, you can attract clients as a consultant.

As workforces are becoming smaller, companies often look to outsource projects or bring in consultants to bolster their team when deadlines are approaching.

This is an excellent money-making opportunity if you're an experienced professional in your field, as opposed to a recent graduate or relatively new freelancer.

People want coaches and consultants to be experienced, so bear this in mind before marketing your services.

Oh, and do you want to know the best part?

These days, you can be a coach or consultant without ever leaving your home. All you need is a laptop, a virtual meeting software like Zoom, and a stable internet connection and you're good to go.

Create/Sell An Online Course

People are more than willing to pay money to learn how to get ahead in life.

Whether it's to learn the marketing secrets of a prolific eBook publisher or to understand how to become an Instagram influencer, people will sign up for courses they believe they can get value from.

Therefore, if you believe you can offer a unique insight into how something works or show people how they can make money from a particular niche, put together a compelling online course.

If you provide evidence to support your claims about what you can do for people and promote your course widely on social media, you'll be amazed how much money you can make by selling an online course.

If you do decide to create an online course, we recommend

Become A Virtual Assistant

You can make a really nice living as a virtual assistant. And there's lots of work to be found.

Virtual assistants help entrepreneurs and other freelancers complete a variety of tasks, including marketing, scheduling, and researching particular topics.

However, because the role of a virtual assistant is so varied, you should assess your current skills and interests before you look for clients.

One of the best things about becoming a virtual assistant is that you often work with clients on a long-term basis, meaning you don't have to constantly look for new projects.

If you're hired once, and you're good at what you do, expect to get a lot of repeat business from the same company or individual.

Start A Youtube Channel

Contrary to what people might have you believe, you don't need any fancy equipment to start a YouTube channel.

You can simply use your laptop's built-in camera or screen-reading software and begin uploading tutorials or your other chosen content.

Providing your content is unique and widely viewed, you can begin to earn money from the videos that you upload.

You should know that it will take a little bit of time to earn from YouTube, though, as your earning potential depends upon how many people view your videos.

Edit Videos

We've already mentioned photo editing, but you can just as easily earn money by editing videos on your laptop for your clients.

Whether it's tidying them up and improving the lighting or adding infographics and branding to your clients' pre-recorded videos, you can secure lots of work as a freelance video editor.

However, as with any business, you need to determine exactly what type of video editing services you want to offer.

Since every client will expect different things, you need to be very clear about what you do, and don't do.

Offer Graphic Design Services

While we're on the topic of editing, if you're creative and competent at using online editing software, you can bring to life a variety of concepts. Graphic design incorporates everything from logos to social media ads and forms an essential part of any brand.

And the best part is, graphic design is one of the best ways to make money with a laptop.

Although you might not realize it, behind every brand's visual campaign is a graphic designer.

If you can show potential clients that you help deliver their brand's message through compelling graphics, you will be an extremely valuable asset to their business.

Edit Podcasts

Who doesn't love a good podcast?

From true crime to independent travel, you can tune into your favorite pod and catch up with stories from the people that inspire and entertain you.

But putting together a podcast isn't a matter of just hitting record on your iPhone. You will notice that your favorite shows are complete with jingles, ads, and background music.

If you're competent using a particular audio software, you could offer to help produce podcasts.

You can find clients by reaching out to your favorite podcasters or following your favorite hosts on social media.

How to make money with a laptop and internet | Be The Budget

Manage Facebook Ads For Local Businesses

Facebook ads can be an extremely beneficial marketing channel for businesses these days. But many business owners don't have the time [or the will] to put together ads to attract new clients to their products and services.

This is understandable, as business owners tend to be incredibly busy.

But that's where you can come in. If you can earn a return on your client's investment in Facebook ads, they will be delighted to outsource their ad management to you.

Write And Sell An Ebook

You don't have to be a talented writer to publish an eBook. What, really? Yes!

You'd be surprised by how many eBooks are actually ghostwritten, or at least heavily edited by someone other than the author.

The trick to writing a popular eBook is appealing to your potential audience. This sounds obvious, but it's crucial.

In other words, you shouldn't try and write a book for everyone; instead, you should focus on providing value to your niche audience.

This way, you can publish your eBook on a site like Kindle Direct Publishing and then market your product on your blog and social media sites.

As you begin to rank on Amazon, your audience will expand (along with your income).

Create And Sell Printables On Etsy

Etsy is a marketplace for creative souls. While you might not be able to handcraft a unique piece of wooden furniture, you could think about creating a collection of printables and selling them via your Etsy store.

Seriously, this is a wonderful option if you're looking for ways to make money with a laptop.

You could create a monthly planner, checklists, or you could even upload some beautiful images you took during your recent safari in Africa and sell wildlife prints.

Regardless of the downloadable product you choose, you can easily reach a large client base from your laptop thanks to Etsy's popularity.

Teach Music Lessons Online

People love learning how to play musical instruments.

So, if you're a talented musician, consider teaching music lessons online to students all over the country.

If you want to get started as an online music teacher, we recommend creating a profile on a site like Wyzant.com. Or, you could launch your own website to market your lessons, and teach your students over Zoom.

Whichever option you choose, teaching music lessons is a great way to make money with only a laptop and internet…and an instrument.

Final Thoughts

Who would have thought that earning money with only a laptop and internet access would be so straightforward?

While not every one of these fifteen options will be suitable for you, hopefully, you will find some inspiration in one or more of the methods.

Our advice would be to think about your skills and market your services accordingly. You can always drop things that don't work out and adapt depending on the opportunities that arise.

The beauty of earning money remotely is that you will often end up doing things you never thought of in the first place!

So, what are you waiting for?

Go grab your laptop, and start marketing your skills!

About The Author

Zach Buchenau is a self-proclaimed personal finance nerd. When he isn't writing about budgeting, getting out of debt, making extra money, and living a frugal life, you can find him building furniture, fly fishing, or developing websites. He is the co-founder of BeTheBudget, and Chipotle's most loyal customer.